See Women Rise

Sponsored by Sealed Air, in conjunction with CATC’s WISE committee, an event was held on January 30th, 2019 entitled “SEE Women Rise”. This was a panel event with senior technology professionals, mostly women, focused on the book authored by Sally Helgensen and Marshall Goldsmith, entitled “How Women Rise”.

To highlight some of the insights from this session, below are some of the questions as asked to the panel and some of the responses. WISE definitely recommends this book as a thought provoking read to support women, as well as men, in their career progress.

Question: The 12 habits are presented without a priority or order. Which ones stood out to you the most, or are the most prevalent from your experiences? How have you overcome them?

Some key responses:

Patty: “Overvaluing Expertise. Women used to be told we had to work twice as hard and do twice as much as men. That’s actually really bad advice and isolates women from their team.”

Shikha: “Putting Your Job Before Your Career. We as women become married to our job emotionally and we tend to forget about the big picture and other opportunities.”

Question: Do you think that some of the behaviors described in the book also apply to men? If so, which ones and in what circumstances? And do you think they also hold men back?

Some key responses:

Ken – “Of course they apply but they are somewhat generational. Depending on your background you have been told to ‘die to self’ and be humble which goes against some of the things in the book but the book gives really practical tips on how men can overcome these challenges.”

Bhavana – “We talk a lot about diversity and inclusion but we forget that everyone can use this information, including men.”

Question: As a leader of people, how would you use the information in the book, to influence the way you develop and support the people on your teams? To expand on that question, how does that improve your ability to manage and develop females?

Some key responses:

Patty – “This book and these habits give a great framework to work against. I’ve begun to notice these habits taking place in my team and now can call them out in people.”

Ken – “If we don’t know how to advocate for diversity and inclusion we can actually do more harm than good. If you truly want to be an extraordinary leader you have to be willing to call things out and develop people and this book gives a good framework to do that.”

Question: Can you think of any habits or behaviors that hold women back that were left out of this book?

Some key responses:

Patty – “Try not to always say I’m sorry. Otherwise, I don’t think there were a lot of gaps necessarily but a lot of opportunity for what’s next.”

Shikha – “Figure out what you want to be famous for.”

Bhavana – “People told me that when I had children my career would slow down. That is not the case but my success is not at the sacrifice of my family and as leaders we should be examples. What you value should be important to you.”

Susan – “Everyone around you has their own demons and insecurities. It gives you a little bit of relief to know that others are figuring it out too. Give yourself a break!”